'Appoint more women judges': West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, urges HC to solve pending cases

Urging West Bengal High Court Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava on Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee said, "Only one request to all of you, many cases are pending for 3-4 years, solve them. I know you`re trying your best but they should be cleared..."

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Kolkata (West Bengal): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has cautioned against media trials urging High Court Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava to solve the court cases which are pending for three to four years while addressing the event organised to hand over a block of the state`s new secretariat building to the justice department. The West Bengal CM also urged the Chief Justice to solve the court cases which are pending for three to four years emphasizing on having more women judges.

Addressing the event here on Thursday, Mamata Bannerjee said, "Only one request to all of you, many cases are pending for 3-4 yrs, solve them. I know you`re trying your best but they should be cleared. Appoint more women judges, we have only a few. And also, no media trial, please - it misleads," adding "But please no media trial, friends; don`t try to defame us. Instead, project the real news." 

Referring to the daily media reports following the arrest of former minister Partha Chatterjee and TMC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal, she said, "Justice can never be one-sided, it is impartial. In a democracy, the judiciary and media are important pillars. If one loses credibility, the other pillars also get affected." 

Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were arrested last month in connection with the recruitment scam.The Enforcement Directorate had raided several premises allegedly linked to Arpita Mukherjee in the scam. The probe agency has recovered cash worth about Rs 50 crore, foreign currency, jewellery and gold biscuits in connection with its raids into the scam. 

Chatterjee was education minister from 2014 to 2021 in the Trinamool Congress government.Following Chatterjee`s arrest, he was removed as a minister and suspended from the Trinamool Congress. Mondal the Trinamool Congress` Birbhum District President was arrested last week in a 2020 cattle smuggling case.

The special court judge said the letter warned that if Mondal "was not released his family members would be implicated in the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act case with commercial quantity." The judge also sought the attention of the district judge and also brought it to the notice of the registrar-general of the Calcutta High Court. 

After his arrest, Mondal, a close associate of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was sent to CBI custody till August 24. Mondal, who was summoned several times by the CBI but evaded appearing citing health issues, was finally arrested on August 11 from his residence in Bolpur in Birbhum district. It has led to a war of words between the BJP and the TMC. 

Finance Minister of West Bengal Chandrima Bhattacharya had alleged that the CBI summons to Mondal was "political vendetta" while the BJP leaders have accused the TMC regime of fostering corruption. 

On September 21, 2020, the CBI had arrested a former Border Security Force (BSF) Commandant, in connection with an illegal cattle smuggling case across the Indo-Bangladesh border. Anubrata Mondal`s name had reportedly come under the CBI scanner during the probe.

(With ANI Inputs)